A Saiyan's Worth
by Gabygoo
Summary: 12-year-olds Pan and Bra have been best friends for as long as they can remember, but they've been recently drifting apart. What could bring them back together? The answer may involve a Super Saiyan... (After Z, ignoring GT)
1. Intro

**[AN: Hi guys! This was a story that I actually wrote a long time ago. While I'm trying to get Second Chances to actually work as a story, here's a fanfic to pass the waiting time. Besides, I want to get this story out there before Dragon Ball Super comes out and renders this all non-canon.**

 **This story isn't exactly...perfect, and the structure may be a little weird, but I still had a blast writing it. It's really centred around one thing, and you'll know what it is when it comes up.]**

Videl drove her ship into the school's drop-off area. All around her, she could see the anxious faces of dozens of other mothers, sending off their sons and daughters for their first day of school.

Videl was also anxious. But not for the same reasons the other parents.

She set her ship into park, walked outside and opened the passenger door. There, sitting eagerly in the back seat, was little 6-year old Pan.

Videl tried to calm herself as she told her daughter, "We're here. Are you ready?"

Pan nodded. Like all children, she was excited for her first day of school. She could finally learn and grow up.

But Pan wasn't like normal children, and that's what had Videl so nervous. Despite all the months of coaching and lessons, Videl couldn't be sure if Pan remembered how to act like a normal child. A child that wasn't ¼ alien.

Her and Gohan had spent a lot of time and effort into explaining to Pan how to pretend to be normal. It wasn't because they wanted to stifle who she was. They just didn't want her to hurt anyone. She was much stronger than the average 6-year-old girl. If she couldn't control herself, she could hurt the other children very badly. Videl just hoped Pan had matured enough to be able to control her own strength in front of the other children.

She guided Pan out of the ship and put her backpack on. "Now, be careful. School isn't like at home. Always follow the teachers' instructions. Try to make some friends."

Then she added, in almost a whisper, "And remember, Pan-"

"Don't show the other kids how strong I am," Pan finished. They had told her so many times that she could recite it.

Videl breathed in relief. At least Pan remembered. "Yes," she told her. "It's very important you act like everyone else. You're a very special child, but the other kids might not understand. They could be scared of you."

Pan nodded in understanding.

And then the moment came. The moment when Videl would have to leave Pan to walk into the gates on her own. She wasn't sure if she could do it. No one had explained to her how difficult it was – that moment when you had to let your child go, to a place where you couldn't protect them anymore.

"Videl!" someone called.

Videl turned around, and it was Bulma, with Bra holding her hand.

Their presence made Videl feel a lot better. At least she and Pan weren't going into this alone.

"I wasn't sure if I would see you," said Videl. "There are a lot of parents here."

"Of course I'd see you!" said Bulma. "We have to stick together, after all."

Now Pan and Bra stood side-by-side as Bulma said her final words to them.

"I know you'll be able to do this," Bulma told them. "But remember, if you're unsure of anything, go find each other. You two are in this together, and you have to help each other."

And she waved them off. Together, Pan and Bra entered the gates of the school alone. The sight of her baby girl leaving her was enough to make Videl teary.

"Hey, it's OK to cry," said Bulma, noticing Videl's expression. "The first one is always the hardest."

"I'm just…so worried about them," said Videl. "As if school wasn't hard enough with what they have to do."

"Trunks managed," said Bulma. "And Goten. Even your husband got through it. It's just school."

"I hope they'll be OK," said Videl.

Bulma held her arm. "They'll be fine. They have each other."

 **[AN: This story was written before Resurrection F, so Bra's age might not be EXACTLY canon. In this story, she's a few months younger than Pan. She gets conceived shortly after Battle of Gods]**


	2. The Build-Up (Part 1)

**[AN: This fanfiction's structure might be a little strange. Like I said, it's pretty much written around one event - the build-up, the context, and the aftermath. I don't even care if it's not the best story ever. This is basically my extended headcanon.]**

 _6 years later_

Pan unlocked the door. It was great having your own key to the house. Her parents weren't sure for a while, but they eventually relented and got her a key as part of her birthday present.

"I'm home!" she called.

Her father came in. "Pan!" he exclaimed. "How was school?"

"It was OK," she said. Why did parents ask that every day? It wasn't like each day was that unique that it deserved a different answer.

"We started training for soccer season today," she told him. She knew her dad liked it when she elaborated on things. He didn't want to think she was keeping secrets from him.

"And how was that?" he asked her.

"It was fine," she said. "I'm better than them all, anyway."

Gohan looked at her, frowning. "That may be true, but there's no need to show off."

"I didn't show off!" she exclaimed. "It's just the truth."

"Remember, Pan," explained her father. "Just because they're not as strong as you, doesn't mean you're better than them."

"I know that," said Pan gloomily. She'd had this lecture too many times. And, while she knew her dad was right, she didn't like being reminded about it.

Pan had been in a bit of a dilemma with her martial arts training. She wanted to keep practicing and get stronger. The problem was she was far too strong to fight against humans, and she was too weak to give the Saiyans a challenge. While she trained with the Saiyans, she knew and they knew that they didn't need to put much effort to keep up with her, even without transforming. And the fact that they were often busy doing their own things meant she didn't get to train with them very often.

She had been getting frustrated, wanting to do something, but being unable to do it. Then she found out that some of her friends were joining the school soccer team. When she mentioned this to her parents, they came up with a plan.

The main problem she had with doing competitive sports was that she was just too good. When you actually got scored for how well you did, it was obvious just how much better she was than everyone else. The whole point of school was _not_ to draw attention to herself.

But for a team sport, it was different. Victory didn't rely only on the strength of an individual. It also relied on how well individuals could work as a team. Everyone had their own specific roles. Even if Pan wasn't holding back, it didn't mean she could win on her own. She could easily kick the ball too hard and it would go out-of-bounds. Or, she could try and aim the ball at the goalie from the opposite side of the field, only to have it hit another player on the way there. Either way, soccer was a great way to practice how to hold back her strength. And she could play with some of her friends.

She was lucky she was able to be with the boys. If there were enough girls willing to play, she was sure she would have been forced into an all-girl team. But she was the only girl who wanted to play, at least at the moment.

So that was the situation. Pan had joined the 6th grade soccer team. Of course, she was easily the best player in the team, but she tried to hide just how good she was. Even then, the coach often raved about her talent, trying to convince her to take the sport to a more serious level. But, even if she wanted to, her parents wouldn't let her do more than this.

"It's just not fair," her mother had said. "No other soccer player is part-Saiyan. You've got an unfair advantage. It's almost like cheating."

 _It's not that unfair,_ Pan had thought. _I bet Bra would suck if she played._ But Bra would never want to play sports in the first place. Pan just assumed it wouldn't be girly enough for her.

Her mother walked in. "Pan!" she said. "There's a letter for you that came this morning."

A letter? For her? No one ever sent her letters. "Who's it from?"

"I think you'll know," said her mother, and handed her the letter.

The handwriting tipped her off. It was Bra. But why was Bra sending her a letter?

As she opened it up, she understood why.

A burst of colourful confetti fell out from the envelope as she opened it. On a multi-coloured paper, in bright words, were written.

 _You are invited to_

 _Bra's 12_ _th_ _Birthday_

According to the letter, it was at Bra's house. Normally, that would be unusual, but Bra's house…it was certainly big enough for almost everyone in the school to attend.

Checking the date, Pan realised the birthday was a week from now. That was strange. "It's her birthday," she told her mum. "In a week. Why did she only send it to us now?"

Her father thought for a while. "Perhaps she forgot," he decided. "She just assumed you knew about it."

"Or maybe she didn't want to invite me," thought Pan out loud.

Videl looked shocked. "Why wouldn't she invite you? You're family!"

"I don't think she likes me anymore," said Pan bluntly. "She thinks I'm embarrassing because I don't like girly stuff like she does."

Videl shook her head. "I'm sure that's not true. You can still be friends even if you don't like the same things."

Pan wasn't convinced. They barely even talked in the playground anymore. Sometimes, they said hi as they walked past, but that was it.

"Besides, we're not even related," she said.

"She's still your family," said her father firmly. "Even if you aren't related by blood."

Pan shrugged. While she wasn't sure if she really wanted to hang out with Bra anymore, it wasn't like they weren't going to see each other. Whenever the Son and Briefs families saw each other, they were the two youngest children. They would still talk to each other.

Suddenly, Gohan sensed something. "I think Goten's coming," he said.

"Ooh, really?" Pan was excited. If Goten was coming, they could train together.

She tried to focus, but she couldn't sense him until a few seconds later. Her dad was still a lot better at sensing energy than she was.

Soon, the doorbell rang, signalling Goten's arrival.

"Hi, bro!" he said to Gohan.

Goten was 24, and had just finished college. Almost by chance, he had become Pan's fighting teacher. Her father normally trained her, but he was often busy with work. Her grandfather used to train her, but he didn't have free time either now he was training Uub. So Goten ended up training her most of the time. He enjoyed it, because Trunks was now busy with his work at Capsule Corp, and Goten had a lot more free time than he did. Fighting with her was the best opportunity he could get.

Goten looked at Pan. "You have time for some training?"

"Yeah!' said Pan eagerly.

* * *

Pan fell to the ground, panting, as Goten hovered above her. She had been doing pretty well, but…she needed a break.

"You know, you're getting pretty good," Goten told her.

"You think so?" she asked.

"Well, you got some pretty good hits in,"

"I don't know," said Pan dismissively. "I could barely touch you."

"Well, I'm a lot older. And I'm a Super Saiyan."

"I wish I was a Super Saiyan," said Pan.

It was that one, desperate wish, the wish that had kept her going even as a child. When she was younger, her parents and Grandpa Goku and Goten drilled into her that it might not be possible for her to transform. There were often periods when she could just forget about it, and assume it was never going to happen. But there were also times where the jealousy and the envy threatened to swallow her up. This was one of those times. Perhaps it was because she knew she was getting stronger. Perhaps it was because of how easy soccer training was that afternoon. But, occasionally, that desire to prove herself was so great it felt like her entire body was being consumed by it.

"Hey," said Goten. "Don't give up yet! I'm sure it could happen eventually. You might actually be strong enough to transform soon."

That perked her up. "Really?"

Goten nodded.

But then Pan's mood dropped. She had had false alarms before – times when she thought she really had it, she had done it that time, only to be found out that nothing had changed.

"But I don't even know _how_ to transform," she said gloomily. "What do you do, get really angry? I know that's how Grandpa Goku did it."

"I don't think that's how it happened for me."

"Well, how did _you_ transform?"

Goten thought for a moment. "I actually can't remember. Of course, I _was_ the youngest Super Saiyan ever. I think I saw Trunks do it once, and then it just sort of happened."

"So, you don't know how you did it?"  
"Tell you what," said Goten. "Ask your father. I'm sure he knows a lot more about it than I do."

* * *

She decided to ask just as her father was tucking her into bed.

"Daddy?" she started.

"What is it, Pan?"

"I was just wondering…how exactly did you become a Super Saiyan?"

Gohan looked surprised. "I'm sure I've told you this story before."

"I can't remember it now. Can you tell me again?"

"Alright." Gohan sat on her bedside and started his story. "I learnt how to become a Super Saiyan while I was training with my dad in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. We were training to beat Cell. You remember who Cell was, right?"

"He was the one _you_ beat, right?"

Gohan nodded. "That's the one. When we entered the chamber, your grandfather promised me I would be a Super Saiyan once we had finished. I almost didn't believe him. Remember, Goten wasn't born yet, and Trunks was only a baby. I was only 9 years old. I thought I would be far too young to be able to transform. But your grandpa never stopped believing in me, and I managed to do it."

"Do you remember when it happened?"

Gohan thought for a moment. "I can't remember the full details. I think I was in a tough spot. Father tried fighting against me at his full power. At first, I didn't know if I could stand against him, but I remembered when I hadn't been strong enough to protect my friends. I didn't want to let them down anymore. And, I guess that must have triggered something, and I became a Super Saiyan."

"So it wasn't just getting angry?"

Her father shook his head. "It's not only anger. That's how your grandpa did it, but it's not the only way. If it was, I may have become a Super Saiyan much sooner."

 _So it might not be that difficult!_ That made Pan happy.

"Why are you asking me about this all of a sudden?" asked Gohan.

"I was just thinking if I could ever be a Super Saiyan."

Gohan sighed. "Honey, you don't have to try and prove yourself. And we don't know if it's even possible for you to."

"I know that!" said Pan. "But…if something happens, I'd be able to fight with you if I was a Super Saiyan. I want to help save the Earth, like you and Grandpa and everyone else."

Gohan smiled. "But you've already saved the Earth, remember?"

"Against Beerus, I know," sighed Pan. She had heard that story so many times she'd gotten sick of it. "I was the last Saiyan for Grandpa to become a Super Saiyan God."

"I see you remember."

But Pan didn't think that counted. She wasn't even born at the time! It wasn't like she could remember it. And she didn't even fight. All she had done was help give power to her grandfather. Why did _that_ have to be her finest moment? Her only moment?

"What's this about Super Saiyans?" Videl came into the room.

Gohan explained it to her. "Pan wants to be a Super Saiyan."

Videl sighed. "Oh, sweetie," she said. "Don't worry about it. No one will think any less of you if it you can't do it."

"I…" Pan paused. "I still want to try. If I can."

She looked at her dad. "Do you think I can?" she asked him.

"I don't know," replied Gohan. "But, I'll tell you one thing that you need to remember."

"What is it?"

"Your grandpa taught me one thing about becoming a Super Saiyan that still applies. It comes in response to a need, not a desire."

Pan was puzzled. "What does that mean?"

"It means that you can't become a Super Saiyan by wishing with all your might. If you ever _can_ do it, it'll happen when you're not intending it to."

Pan pouted. "That doesn't help much."

Gohan laughed. "But it's true. If it happens, it'll happen. And it won't happen faster by force of will."

"Oh. OK." Pan looked disappointed.

Videl interrupted. "Just remember, you don't have to be a Super Saiyan or anything like that to show who you are. We'll love you all the same."

"I know," said Pan.

And her parents kissed her and turned off the light.

* * *

When they went back in the living room, Videl sighed. They just had to bring up Super Saiyans again, didn't they? She thought Pan had forgotten about it. Apparently not.

It was one of those naive wishes that, as a child, Pan would never shut up about. As she had gotten older, her requests had gotten less frequent and less forceful, but perhaps she never forgot it completely.

And the worse part was, the others always seemed to believe her. Every time she had announced that she had finally done it, that she knew how to transform this time, no one acted surprised. It was like they were _expecting_ her to do it. Like it was only a matter of time. It just felt wrong. Was she the only one who was ever concerned? Sometimes it felt like it.

Videl walked up to Gohan. "I thought she would outgrow this," she sighed, after making sure Pan's bedroom was a safe distance away. She didn't want her daughter to overhear this.

Gohan was thinking. "I don't think this is something you just grow out of," he said. "She still wants to prove herself."

"But she doesn't _have_ to prove herself!" exclaimed Videl. "Why don't children understand that? She shouldn't have to try so hard to earn anyone's respect."

"You were like that, once," said Gohan. "So was I. It's only natural for her to want to transform. For us, it's like a symbol of worth."

"It's just…" Videl was struggling to explain her feelings. "If she _does_ transform, she can never be normal again."

Having superhuman strength was one thing, and hard enough to hide from her friends at school. But a Super Saiyan? It wasn't something any…human…could do. If she transformed in front of someone, they would know something was different. How many other kids could change their appearance at will? Not to mention the power it gave her.

"But she's never been truly normal," said Gohan. "She's never been truly human."

It was one of the drawbacks of marrying a half-alien. Videl had sworn to him up and down that _what_ he was didn't make a difference to her, and she still stood by that. But there were times like this when she wished she was a normal mother, with a normal child. In situations like this, she had no clear examples of what was right and wrong. It wasn't like she could just find a book about it. Pan's dilemmas seemed completely unique. They had to work out their rules of parenting as they went along, with no prior knowledge to go back on.

Noticing her concern, Gohan put his arms around her.

"I know how you feel," he told her. "But Pan is a smart girl. She understands the consequences, but she still wants to try. It's in her blood, after all."

"I know," said Videl. "I'm not like your mother. I'm not going to try and stop her. I'm just worried that she's trying too hard to do this. I don't want her to be disappointed if we find out she can never transform. She's already 12. You had already transformed at her age, right?"

Gohan nodded. "But we shouldn't compare it. It was under entirely different circumstances."

"Just…make sure Pan understands to not get her hopes up."

"I will."

 **[AN: What does Goten even do with his life? I can't figure it out.]**


	3. The Build-Up (Part 2)

While Goten's words were encouraging, Pan knew not to think too much about them. Maybe, according to him, she was getting strong enough to transform. But perhaps it wasn't possible. Perhaps her blood _was_ too diluted. She just had to remember that. After 12 years of disappointment, even her uncle's words couldn't make her completely believe it was possible. Even if she really, _really_ wanted to believe it.

At that was how the status quo remained…for about a week. But during Bra's 12th birthday party, something very unexpected occurred.

* * *

Bra's party was every bit as extravagant as Pan would have expected. Almost the entire bottom floor of Capsule Corp had been transformed into a make-shift carnival. Multi-coloured streamers and balloons of all different varieties adorned the ceilings. Children had already attempted to remove some and carry them with them, tying them onto their wrists. All around, little stalls had been erected – some simply holding food (and by food, Pan mostly meant lollies. A lot of them) , some holding small activities, and some even with fully-fledged carnival games, like laughing clowns.

In the centre, overshadowing all the other stalls, was the main attraction – the dodgem cars. Pan wasn't even that late, and there was already a line snaking though the back corridors of children lining up to have their turn.

If her father was here, Pan was sure he would have frowned. "So much excess," he would have said. "Bulma doesn't know the meaning of 'restraint'." He didn't always appreciate the Briefs' extravagance and occasional flair for the dramatic. But her father had also spent a year of his life nearly alone in the wilderness. His upbringing must have been a lot more modest than what Bra's was like.

And then she recognised 4 familiar faces amongst the crowd – her friends. Boys, all of them, but she never minded that.

There was Ace, the 'cool' leader – he had ended up taking on that role even before people had known his name. When they found out, it seemed even more appropriate.

Intel, the voice of reason. That was often a polite way of saying 'the coward', but Pan appreciated him there. There were so many stupid ideas that had been stopped by him before they got off the ground.

Shiba, the trickster – always the most reckless, always trying to find the best ways to break the rules.

And Dell, the least social of all of them, but the most reliable. Out of all of them, he was the one Pan trusted the most to keep a secret. The rest of them had a bad habit of being total blabbermouths when they wanted to impress.

Somehow, Pan had ended up being part of their elite circle of 5. It must have started back when they entered primary school, when all of them realised they didn't _want_ to be bullies. If you weren't trying to make enemies of people, you actually made more friends, and people weren't too scared to try and talk to you!

Of course, that didn't mean they were particularly popular, either. But they were never picked on, even by the other boys. It had been made clear very early on that Son Pan was a girl that you _never_ wanted to mess with. But their group hadn't formed by the boys trying to gather around her for protection. No. She had chosen _them._

"Pan!" They waved at her.

"Hi, guys," she said.

"Crazy party, right?" said Shiba. "I knew Bra was rich but…wow. There is so much stuff here!"

"So much food," added Dell.

Ace nudged him. "I bet you're gonna eat the entire party."

"Hey, lay off him!" said Pan. "I don't even think he could eat half of it!"

And that made her start wondering if her grandpa could eat it all. A few seconds later, she dismissed it. _It's too sweet,_ she thought. _Maybe if it was all meat…_ But she knew that would be expensive.

Her friends walked around, trying to find the most worthwhile activities. There were a lot of games where Pan knew she could do well at, like the throwing games. She couldn't find any strength tester machines. For some reason, Pan had a feeling Bulma had excluded that on purpose.

 _Speaking of Bulma…_ she was just by the main food table, explaining to some of the kids a simple map she had erected of where all the activities were. It looked like she was thoroughly enjoying herself. It was common knowledge that if Bulma knew one thing, it was how to put on a good party.

Bulma noticed Pan, and gestured for her to come over.

"How are you, Pan?" she asked, full of enthusiasm.

"I'm ok," she answered casually. "You did a lot for this party."

Bulma smiled. "Well, I thought we might as well go all out this year. 12 years old is a big occasion! I know some cultures say that's when a girl officially becomes a woman."

Pan had heard of that before, but she couldn't remember where from. It definitely wasn't a Saiyan thing, that was for sure.

"Where's Vegeta?" asked Pan, now curious. "Is he helping?"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Do you _think_ he's helping?"

It only took one mental image of Vegeta behind one of the stalls, helping entertain the children, to get Pan choking in laughter.

"He's upstairs," Bulma explained. "He's not even training, actually. He says we're too much of a distraction."

It _was_ rather noisy. And the last thing they wanted was Vegeta to go on a rage, frustrated by the distractions. Vegeta still scared her a bit, especially when he got angry.

"I still don't remember," started Intel, as they left to go to the arcade games, "How are you and Bra related again?"

"We're not actually related," Pan sighed. She always had to explain this. Perhaps it would have been easier to say they _were_ relatives. They might as well have been. But it wasn't exactly the truth.

"See," she started to explain.

" _My_ grandpa and Bra's father…they're like brothers. They're not related, but they pretty much are as close as you can be. They're part of this…old family…which has pretty much died out. They're the only ones left. That's why they're so close."

"And this is the grandpa on…your _dad's_ side, right?" asked Intel.

Pan nodded. "The one who you don't know. Grandpa Goku."

"But you and Bra are about the same age," Ace realised, frowning. "Wouldn't you be different generations, or something?"

"We sort of are," Pan answered. "But Grandma and Grandpa had my dad really early, and Bra's parents had her really late. It's…it's a bit weird. She's sort of like my aunty, but I'm older than her."

Her friends were left to stare, puzzled.

"Your family is _weird_ , Pan," said Ace.

 _You don't even know the half of it,_ Pan thought.

The 5 of them wanted to go on the dodgem cars, but the line was just _so_ long. And it didn't help that Pan swore people weren't going to the back of the line once they had gotten their turn. They just found a group of friends in the middle of the line and joined them, skipping the back. It got Pan a little annoyed. How hard was it for people to wait in line?

So they decided to go later, once the line had died down a little bit. Intel was explaining that, once the novelty had worn off, there would likely be less people waiting. They could go then.

But even without the dodgem cars, there was plenty to entertain themselves. They went from stall to stall, entertained by the activities.

* * *

People say that time flies when you're having fun, and that was the same for Pan that day. Running around with her friends, just having an enjoyable time…she was very glad that Bra remembered to invite her. This was the sort of party people would remember.

In no time at all, everyone heard Bulma's voice coming clearly through the intercom.

"If everyone would please go to the main hall, it's time for the birthday cake!"

The cake was enormous, as befitting the mood of the party in general – richly decorated in pink frosting and multi-coloured decorations, which seemed to be edible.

Pan saw Bra for the first time that day then, in a silver dress, her blue hair out in waves around her neck. She definitely looked pretty – Pan was sure she had spent hours preparing her appearance just right for this. But…there was something strange about her.

Everyone started to sing 'Happy Birthday', while Bra walked up to the cake, knife in hand.

She brought it down, cutting a slice clean off the cake, and the people in front gasped.

While the cake looked amazing on the outside, inside…it was filled to the brim with little chocolate buttons and gummy lollies. Just the sight of it made Pan's mouth water. _So much sugar…_ there would be a lot of children on a sugar rush after having their slices.

Bra stood away and let Bulma cut the cake. She didn't seem too surprised at the cake's interior. Perhaps she knew all along. Or perhaps she just didn't care.

And then it struck her. Pan suddenly realised why the way Bra was acting was a little unusual.

 _She doesn't look happy._

There was something in her expression, something in the way she moved. She didn't look very eager to cut the cake or even to be at the party. She had a smile on her face, but it seemed like it was almost forced.

It looked like no one else had noticed – not even Bulma, who was busy facilitating the party planning. Perhaps it was something that only Pan could tell. Regardless of how close they were now, they had known each other since they were babies. Pan knew when Bra was upset.

But that in itself was ridiculous. It was her _birthday_! Who was upset on her _birthday_? And Pan was sure it wasn't for some stupid reason, like because her hair wasn't done right, or something. Bra looked legitimately upset, and not in the superficial way she normally did when it was about an insignificant issue. What on _earth_ would she be upset about?

But then the cake was served, and the sudden rush of dozens of children trying to be the first ones to get a slice was so chaotic that Pan forgot about whatever she had been thinking before.

After Bulma gave Pan a rather large slice of cake ( _which isn't really cake,_ thought Pan. _It's more like a giant slice of…sweet stuff_ ), she caught up with her friends. Once they finished eating, they decided, they were going to check the dodgem cars and see if the line was shorter.

They sat on one of the steps, eating their cake eagerly. One by one, children passed them, all holding their pieces of cake proudly. It didn't matter who you were, sugar was sugar, and everyone was excited to get a piece. It helped that the cake itself looked fantastic.

And then Pan noticed Bra's friends, clearing a space through the room to walk uninterrupted. But…Bra wasn't with them.

It shouldn't have been a big deal, but, for some reason, that concerned Pan. Where was Bra? All throughout the party, she had been the centre of attention, her friends following her every move like shadows. Did Bra decide to ditch them? That in itself was unusual.

 _But she wasn't happy._ And Pan _knew_ Bra. If she was upset…Bra was the kind of girl who dwelled on depressed thoughts for a little too long. If she wasn't with her friends, and she was _always_ with her friends, it meant she must be somewhere around the house, sulking.

But where would she have gone? Pan tried to think. _If I was Bra, and I wanted to get away from everyone, where would I go?_ It didn't take long for her to come up with an answer. The balcony. The balcony, that was only available through the door that looked like it was locked, but it never was. No one would go in there, especially if they had never been to her house before.

Quickly, Pan disentangled herself from her group of friends. "I'm just going to talk to Bra," she said, hurriedly.

"Will you be long?" asked Ace.

Pan shrugged, and ran to the balcony door, where everything was about to change.

 **[AN: Pan's friends aren't that important to the plot. I just felt like putting them in there. Next chapter, we'll get to what this story was created around, I swear.]**


	4. The Event

When Pan walked up to the balcony, she found Bra standing alone, simply staring at the view outside. And she looked upset. In fact, it almost looked like she was about to cry.

While Pan wasn't the best at comforting friends – most of her friends were boys, and hardly ever cried – she wasn't going to leave her family-friend alone like this.

"Hey," she asked. "Are you OK?"

Bra turned around and saw her. "Pan…"

Pan could see the tears in her eyes.

Bra took a shuddering breath, as if she was holding back. Holding back words, holding back tears, holding back…everything. Everything that she had been hiding that day.

And then, something landed on her back. It was small and thin, barely the size of Pan's thumb. Glancing over, Pan realised it was…some kind of dart?

Bra's eyes glazed over. Stumbling, she fell backwards… _off the balcony!_

Pan ran to her, desperately trying to catch her. But she had just arrived on the edge of the balcony when she saw what had happened.

Just below the balcony, two men were on a large flying bike. They had caught Bra as she fell, and were busy placing her securely in the seat in between them. It was as if…as if they had been planning this.

And then the bike flew off, making almost no sound as its silhouette became smaller and smaller.

The sheer speed of it made Pan dumbstruck. She could only stare, astonished, for a few seconds, before the enormity of what had just happened sunk in.

 _Bra just got kidnapped._

She _had_ to follow her!

Checking no one was around, Pan took to the air. At top speed, she caught up to the bike quite quickly. Bra looked like she was recovering from the effects of whatever they had given her, but she still looked quite shaken. Pan was sure she could get in there and get Bra out, but the problem would be the other guys. They weren't going to sit there and let her take her friend, and if they tried to attack…they were too far off the ground. If she pushed them, they would most likely die. And her parents had always, _always_ drilled in to her that killing people was _never_ allowed, unless her life was in direct danger.

She was hesitating, not sure what to do. But, just as she was working out a plan, the bike started to descend. _Fine,_ thought Pan. _I'll wait until they land, grab Bra, and fly off. As long as I don't drop her while flying, it'll be fine._

As it landed, the men opened the dome, and grabbed Bra, one man holding each of her arms. But, for some reason, Bra didn't seem to be fighting back. She looked clearly conscious, but she was just _letting_ the men take her! What was going on?

Pan had had enough. She flew down, using her momentum to kick the nearest guard. He flew through the alley and landed against the wall of the nearest building. Pan then gave the second guard another kick to get him out of the way before he could register what happened.

"…Pan?" Bra stared at her, surprised but grateful.

But Pan wasn't happy. "Why didn't you fight them off?" she snapped at her. "You're a _Saiyan_! You could have dealt with them easily!"

"I…" The normal chatterbox Bra seemed at a loss for words.

Then, suddenly, she burst into tears.

"I didn't want to…" she blubbered.

"You didn't want to save your _life_?"

Bra could only stare at the ground. "Normal girls couldn't fight them off."

That just got Pan even more confused. "You're not a normal girl. You're not entirely human."

"But I wish I was." Those words were muttered so softly Pan could barely hear it.

 _And that's it,_ Pan realised. _That's why she was so sad at the party._

She had been mulling this over the entire time, hadn't she? At her party, everyone was there, acting like it was just a normal party, for a normal girl. But Bra…despite how she acted, she _knew_ she wasn't like them.

Pan was sure, in this situation, other girls would talk about how Bra really wasn't that different after all, and how she was mostly human and it didn't matter who her father was. But Pan's reaction was just "Why?"

Bra looked up. "What?"

"Why would you want to be normal? Normal is stupid."

That got Bra angry. "You don't understand!" she exclaimed, the tears still streaming down her face. "At the party, I realised, I have all these friends, and I know they like me, but they don't even know the _real_ me. If they knew the truth…they'd leave me. They'd think I was…" Bra paused, trying to find the right word.

"A monster." She decided. "And I don't want to be a monster."

 _You're not a monster,_ Pan felt like saying. But she couldn't say it. She was just too angry at Bra for being defenceless like that. She wasn't in the mood to be soft and gentle.

"So there are two of you."

Pan looked around. While they had been talking, cars had arrived at the street. A lot of them – identical in size and colour. This must have been planned. All around her, men were emerging – men with the same dark clothes and sunglasses as the ones who took Bra. And, closest to them, was another man. He looked like he was the leader.

Pan's first impression of him was of someone who was used to having his orders followed. While he was rather short, his attire showed his influence. He was wearing a long white coat that looked almost custom made. Rings glinted on his fingers. And strapped to his side was a large gun.

"Who are you?" she asked to the leader.

"That's not important," he said. "If I were you, I'd suggest you surrender the girl and yourself. Otherwise, you might get hurt."

"What do you want with her?"

The leader gave an exaggerated sigh. "Ransom, of course," he said. "This girl's family is one of the richest in the world. We were lucky to find her alone. We've been targeting her for a while, but this was the first chance to get her without alerting the authorities."

He signalled to his men, which were now forming a circle around them. They all simultaneously took out their guns.

"Now, why don't you step away from the girl? I promise we won't hurt her if you surrender quietly."

For a split second, Pan understood what it would be like to be a human in this situation – weak, defenceless, scared. But that soon faded. _I'm part-Saiyan. You're no threat to me._

She started to laugh. "You picked the wrong person to kidnap."

Pan's confident expression seemed to shock him. But then his features curled in a grin. "Silly girl," he said. "You don't seem to understand who you're dealing with."

Pan smirked. "Neither do you."

And she let loose her full power.

The force of it immediately knocked the nearest men to the ground. While the others stood there in bewilderment, Pan attacked. She used the air to her advantage – using the momentum from her flight to launch the men away and into each other. They didn't seem to understand what was happening until it was too late.

Except there were so many of them! She was still trying not to kill them, but perhaps she hadn't been hitting them as hard as she should have. Because a lot of them kept getting up after she knocked them down.

And, as she landed to try and fight more offensively, a sharp pain in her back made her turn around. One of them had shot her. She knew it would be hard for bullets to kill her, but she didn't realise how much it would _hurt_! Examining it, it looked like the bullet had narrowly avoided penetrating her skin. Either way, it would definitely leave a bruise after this. And the pain was incredibly distracting. It was all she could do to not stop and try to nurse the wound.

But despite all of that, she could do it, she could finish them all. If worse came to worse, she could use a ki blast and hit them from the air. It might kill them, but she might not have any other choice-

"Stop."

The leader was standing, holding his gun to Bra's head.

"Get down on the ground, or I'll shoot her."

She didn't want Bra to get hurt. But, at the same time, she had seen a lot of movies with this sort of situation. "You won't kill her. You need her as a hostage."

"Oh, yes," he said, smiling. "But I'm sure the Briefs' will still pay an exuberant sum for her dead body."

Pan's heart leaped in shock. He was right.

"And this isn't an ordinary gun," he said. "These bullets will penetrate even the strongest steel. I doubt you'll be able to block it with those tricks of yours."

With that, Pan gave up. _They'll really kill Bra if I don't surrender._ She suddenly realised how reckless her attitude had been. Sure, the criminals posed no threat to her, but what about Bra? All the strength in the world wouldn't matter if she wasn't able to protect her.

Pan slowly landed. "Just let her go," she said.

"Hold on," he said. "First, we'll need to restrain you. I'm assuming handcuffs are worthless? In that case, close your eyes and count to…I don't know…500. And if you follow us, I'll kill her."

 _Close my eyes? I don't get it._ "But then you'll get away."

The leader rolled his eyes. "This is why I don't work with children. Always have to explain everything to them-"

Suddenly, Bra pushed him out of the way and ran. It seemed that, while in the middle of talking, he had loosened his grip enough for her to free herself.

He slowly stood up. "You're going to PAY for that!" he yelled. He took out his gun, and fired.

Pan flew over as fast as possible, and pushed Bra out of the way. The bullet just missed them by inches.

"Do you want to die, too?" he asked her. "That's fine. I'm flexible."

 _She's going to die. She's going to die and there's nothing I can do to stop it._

"You…won't get away with this," Her heart was pounding. Pan thought it was the adrenaline, but it was more than that.

"I don't know," he said. "It seems like I already have."

And he lined up the shot.

Memories flashed before Pan's eyes – memories of Bra, of their time together, and of her desperate confession. She just wanted to be normal.

Almost unbidden, her whole body began to tense. It was as if a huge force was standing on her, forcing her down. It was becoming hard to breathe. And it was getting more intense by the second.

"You won't hurt her," she said.

"I WON'T LET YOU!"

And then something inside her broke, and the power flowed through her.

It almost felt like she was on fire. She could feel the power radiating from her. And, while a part of her knew exactly what was happening, and was even excited for it, she pushed it aside. She only had one thought. _Get to Bra._

She flew in front of her, blocking the leader's shot at her. He was bewildered by her sudden appearance. "What the hell happened to you-" he stopped himself. "It doesn't matter. I'll kill you first."

He aimed at her head and fired.

And Pan caught the bullet. It wasn't even difficult. Nothing would be a challenge anymore.

The leader could only stare, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. "But…that could penetrate solid steel…"

Pan smirked. With all the power she now had, she could easily make him suffer. All she had to do was flick the bullet back at him. She could hit it through his brain, and make it easy, or she could choose another organ and draw out his pain. It was all too easy.

She started slowly walking towards him. Panicking, he started firing a few more times. This time, Pan didn't even bother trying to block. She just stood there and waited while the bullets stopped harmlessly on her body. It didn't even hurt anymore.

"What should I do with you?" she asked rhetorically.

The change in her voice made him suddenly take a few steps back.

"Wh-Wh-What are you?" he asked, terrified.

At last, he was fearing her. It was about time he got what he deserved.

"Pan?" said a voice behind her, heavy with fear.

It was Bra. _Is she afraid of me? Why would she be afraid of me?_

Then she remembered Bra's words, uttered desperately. _I don't want to be a monster!_

And with those words ringing in her ears, Pan suddenly became aware of herself, and she had done.

What was she doing? She was about to kill him! She'd never killed anyone before. That was just _wrong._ And she had been so close…she hadn't even thought twice about prolonging his pain.

 _I don't want to be a monster, either,_ Pan thought.

And then, everything became too much. She doubled over, feeling suddenly sick. The pressure on herself, on her body, on her mind…it was too _much_ , too much to handle. She couldn't manage it anymore.

The leader decided to use that opportunity to get everyone out of there. Pan watched them leave. She knew she could easily stop them from getting away. But she couldn't do it. She didn't want to kill them. She would never be able to live with herself.

When all was silent, Pan turned to Bra. "Are you OK?" she asked her.

"Pan…" she was still staring at the sight of her. "You're a…s-s-"

She controlled herself. "You're a Super Saiyan!"

"Oh." With everything that happened, that detail seemed to slip past her. She knew that she'd transformed, even without seeing it, but she was too busy focusing on trying to save them to really acknowledge it.

Now the news sank in. And it was glorious.

"Yeah," she said. Despite all that happened, she grinned. "I am, aren't I?"

And with that, she could feel that she had turned back to normal. It left her exhausted.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out behind them. "That was impressive, Pan."

Pan turned to see, up on the roof on the building behind them, the last person she'd ever expect.

"G-Grandpa?"

And there he was – her illustrious grandfather. The current guardian of the planet, stronger than Goten and her father. Despite all she knew about him, she rarely saw him – he was always off training, or simply not around, with his whereabouts unknown. So seeing him here, of all places, really surprised her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I sensed a massive ki," he explained. "It felt like a Super Saiyan, but not like anyone I was familiar with. So I used Instant Transmission to get here and I saw you."

"Wait," said Bra. "You mean you were here the whole time? Why didn't you step in?"

"By the time I got there, it looked like Pan had everything under control."

Goku looked at Pan and smiled. "So, another Super Saiyan, huh?"

"I guess so," said Pan.

"I'm proud of you Pan," he said. "I'm sure your parents will be, too."

 _My dad, maybe,_ she thought. _My mum…maybe not. I don't think she wanted me to do it._ The way she had reacted a few days ago…

"Um…Goku?" asked Bra. "Can you…give us a lift back? We were just on the balcony on the second floor, and we don't want people to notice we left."

"Oh, sure!"

Pan almost forgot her grandfather could teleport.

They landed back at the balcony. Luckily, no one was standing around there. Pan was right – none of her friends thought they were even allowed to come up here. It was a perfect place to meet in secrecy.

Seeing everyone running around inside, it was almost like nothing had happened. It would be easy for Bra to act like there was nothing wrong. But Pan knew things would never be the same for her.

"Just act natural," Bra whispered in her ear. "I don't want mum knowing what happened. Not yet."

Pan stared at her, puzzled.

"Mum's going to tell Dad," Bra explained. "And Dad…you know what he's like. He'll probably get mad at me because you transformed before I did."

 _That's ridiculous_ , Pan thought, but she didn't want to argue.

"But…you're going to tell them eventually, aren't you?" Pan asked.

Bra nodded. "Tonight. After the party's over. And then mum can look up those guys and get them arrested."

Pan had almost forgotten about that. She let them get away. But hopefully they would be able to find out who they are. Provided Vegeta didn't decide to take matters into his own hands.

So Pan left to go and find her friends, weaving her way through the crowds of children, many of them still eating their cake. Bra left soon after her and quickly rejoined her group of friends. She seemed to be acting normally. Or, at the very least, she didn't look upset anymore. Was she actually alright, or was she just pretending?

Pan almost wanted to go up to her, but…that would raise suspicions, wouldn't it? Bra looked like she wanted to pretend nothing strange was happening, so perhaps she should follow along.

She was feeling a little surreal. Perhaps it was because they arrived back so quickly, thanks to her grandpa, but…it didn't feel like those events had actually occurred. Did Bra _really_ have an attempted kidnapping? Were those people _really_ going to kill them? And did she _really_ -

Suddenly, Pan saw her friends, walking away from some of the stalls. They had clearly won, and were leaving proudly, prizes in hand.

"Hey, guys!" Pan waved to the boys, bounding over to them.

"Where were you?" Shiba asked, a little annoyed. "We had to do the dodgem cars without you!"

 _I went to find Bra. I saved her from getting kidnapped. And I'm a Super Saiyan._

"I was…wandering around," Pan lied.

"Huh." Them being boys, they didn't think about it too long. Pan was glad for that.

"The photo booth doesn't have a long line anymore," Intel commented. "Why don't we go on that?"

So, altogether, they squashed into the photo booth, trying hard to make the most stupid looking poses possible. And while Pan was having fun, her full attention wasn't in it. She was still thinking about what had happened. Amongst everything, there was one thought that kept echoing through her mind.

 _I have to tell my parents about this._

 **[AN: Telling your parents you're a Super Saiyan - it's just like coming out, only without the homophobia!**

 **Also, the 'super gun' idea isn't something I just made up to add tension. General White uses something like it during the Red Ribbon Army saga, and it actually hurts Goku! And Bra getting kidnapped...I guess I took something from GT, after all!**

 **But there's still story left, and while the real action has passed, what happens next was even more enjoyable to write.]**


	5. The Aftermath

**[AN: Just a fair warning, there isn't exactly any more...plot for the rest of the story. It's just a whole bunch of random ideas that I thought would be realistic reactions to last chapters' events.]**

Once the party winded down, and parents were coming to pick up the kids, she saw a glimpse of her mother.

"Pan!" she exclaimed, going up to her. "How was the party?"

At first, Pan wanted to tell her everything that happened. But then she decided it would be a lot better to tell them when they were back at home.

"It was good," she lied. "There was a lot of cool stuff. They had a photo booth and dodgem cars and everything!"

Videl sighed. "Dodgem cars…your generation gets everything, I swear…"

"Anyway," Videl continued. "I'm going to talk to Bulma for a bit, and then we'll go. Is that OK?"

Pan agreed, and tried to work out how she would tell her the truth. It was strange. Becoming a Super Saiyan was a big deal, at least for her. She should be excited, but she was also scared that her mother would take it the wrong way. Videl was only human, after all. Goten had already explained how _his_ mother had reacted. "Not another monster in the family!" Chi-Chi had said. Would Videl think she was a monster? Like what Bra was scared about?

She decided to start while they were in the car.

"Mum?" she said.

Videl looked at her through the front mirror. "What is it?"

"Something happened…during the party, and I need to tell you about it. But I have to tell you and Dad together. When we get home, I'll explain everything."

Videl looked puzzled, but agreed.

* * *

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

They had arrived back home, her parents staring at her intently. Did they know what had happened? Had they guessed? She wasn't sure. But she had to tell them.

Pan took a deep breath, partly excited and partly nervous. "Well…at the party…"

"I was alone with Bra on the balcony, and these guys tried to kidnap her-"

Videl looked like she was about to interrupt, but Gohan stopped her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Pan continued, getting flustered. "So I followed them, and there were a whole bunch of guys, and I tried to fight them off, but there were so many, and they tried using her as a hostage, and I was trying to save her, and they were going to kill both of us, and I must have gotten really desperate or something because…"

 _It's now or never._ Pan spit it out. "I transformed. I became a Super Saiyan."

She stared at her parents' reactions. Videl was just in shock. Gohan was also shocked, but eventually, he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"That's amazing, Pan!" he exclaimed.

Pan looked at her mother, apprehensive. But Videl was smiling, too.

"I'm so proud of you, honey!" she said.

And with that, Pan could finally embrace her euphoric feelings. _Mum took it well! She wasn't like Grandma!_

Her father started looking at her with concern. "Do you know how to control it?"

Pan frowned. "I don't know. I only ever did it the once."

"Well, we'll have to work on that. Do you have any homework this weekend?"

"…I don't _think_ so."

"Then we'll start now." He took off his glasses. "Are you OK with that?"

"You mean, you're going to train me?" Pan was surprised. Her father was normally too busy for that.

"Well, this is very important. I remember how hard it was for me. We need to make sure you can control it right away."

"Yes!"

* * *

"Ok," started Gohan. "First things first: try to go Super Saiyan."

 _Ok!_ She tried focusing her power. But she had only just started when her father stopped her.

"No, Pan. You're powering up."

Pan was puzzled. "Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"

Her father shook his head. "I know that's what it seems like, but no. Remember, the Super Saiyan is a _transformation_ , not just a power boost."

"So, then, what am I supposed to do?"

Gohan was deep in thought. "How did you do it last time?"

"I don't know!" She was getting frustrated. She had just assumed if she did it once, it would be as easy as breathing. Apparently not.

Luckily, her father had an idea. "Don't worry, Pan. Just…try and recreate the situation in your head. Try and remember how you were feeling when you transformed the first time."

She tried to imagine it – the street, the unconscious henchmen, the ringleader pointing his gun in her face. She felt the fear, and the anger, and the overwhelming feeling of not being strong enough. She wasn't strong enough to protect Bra.

 _Bra! That was it!_ That was how she transformed the last time. She needed to protect her.

So she added Bra, bruised and terrified, to her vision. _I won't let you!_ She had said. _I won't let you!_

And then, suddenly, she felt a surge of energy. It only lasted for a second, but its rapid appearance left her breathless.

"You almost had it!" exclaimed Gohan. "Just keep trying!"

Pan then understood what her father meant. It was more than just anger. The emotions running through her back then, at that moment…she realised she was full of _everything_ – anger, desperation, fear, love and hate, and an overwhelming desire to be stronger. She needed to be stronger. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to protect anyone – not herself, and not Bra.

And then she knew she had done it.

It started off with a brief period of heaviness. For a short while, her entire body felt like lead, and she couldn't move at all, even if she wanted to.

Then, with a shuddering jerk, the power just exploded.

Her father was right. It wasn't just that she had more power. But the power itself was _different_ somehow.

 _Fire was a good way to describe it_ , she thought, observing the flame-like golden aura now surrounding her. The pressure of it forced her head upwards, and she knew her hair had also changed, considering she could no longer feel the tickle of it against her neck. But everyone knew that was just a cosmetic change compared to the raw power the transformation possessed.

Every muscle in her body felt tensed, ready for action, ready to strike…at what, Pan didn't know. But she did know that whatever it was, she could deal with it. She had the power to do that. Well, unless it was another Super Saiyan. Or an alien. Or something.

The heat, the pressure, the power: it was amazing! It was overwhelming. And it…it was _painful._

And then it became too much for her. Almost unwillingly, Pan returned back to normal, slightly relieved. She fell to the ground, her tears falling down her cheeks onto the grass.

Her father was there then, his arms around her. "That was good," he said. "Don't push yourself."

"I…" Pan was still trying to understand it. "I didn't think it would be so hard. It…it _hurt._ "

"I know. It's always like that. It takes a lot of practice to be able to maintain it. And that's not even starting on Super Saiyan 2 or 3."

Hearing that, _feeling_ it, made Pan realise just how much there was still to learn.

"But…I don't understand. It wasn't this hard the first time I did it. Why is it so difficult now?"

"Last time, you were in danger. Your body did it instinctively. You had no time to truly comprehend it. It's different now."

"Now, let's try again."

* * *

Eventually, Gohan decided Pan had done enough for the day. It was getting late. But before they finished training, he gave her a suggestion on how to practice.

"From now on," her father explained. "Every time you transform, I want you to try and maintain it for _longer_ than you did last time. Today you managed to hold it for around…15 seconds. So, next time, you should try and see if you can do it for 16 seconds. Or 20."

"But…what if I can't do it for that long?"

"Then you just start again," he answered. "Start from the beginning, and see how long you can maintain it."

So Pan had a clear goal. But she hadn't realised even the act of _maintaining_ it would be so difficult!

* * *

 _The Next Morning_

Early-morning soccer practice was a lot more brutal than usual.

It wasn't any different. They were going for a run, as usual, the same they did every week. But she wasn't going at her usual pace. Last night's training had taken a lot out of her. All of her muscles were sore, especially her shoulders. Pan could barely lift her arms that morning. She was tired, sore and battered, but she didn't care.

Because she was a Super Saiyan! It was amazing! She wanted to fly up to the roof and scream it out to the world. "I'm a Super Saiyan!" Of course, she couldn't exactly do it now. She was at school. They would probably think she was crazy. And no one would understand what she was talking about.

Was it hard? Definitely. But she wanted nothing more than to keep practicing.

One of her friends went up to her. "What's going on?" he asked. "I can actually keep up with you today!"

"I had a training session last night," she explained. "And it was… _pretty_ intense."

He frowned. "Shouldn't you have told your uncle you had practice the next morning? You could have waited."

Pan was surprised he remembered that Goten was training her. She hadn't mentioned it often. "Well, first of all, I was training with my dad this time, not my uncle. And second of all…" Pan started to smile. "I didn't want to wait."

He stared at her, blankly.

 _How do I explain this?_ "There's this…technique…that I've been trying to do for a long time. Everyone else in my family can do it, but they didn't think I could. Cause I was a girl, and…family stuff…but I really wanted to do it."

"Let me guess," he replied. "You just learnt how to do it yesterday?"

"Yup!" she nodded. "So I was practicing with dad so I could learn how to control it."

"Can you show us?" he asked eagerly. "After training's over?"

 _I wish I could._ But turning Super Saiyan in front of other people was _definitely_ not allowed.

"Sorry," she said. "But Mum said I'm not allowed to."

He sighed. "You know, one day, you're going to have to tell us about all this stuff you're 'not allowed to'."

Pan almost wanted to. "Only when I know you won't freak out."

"I won't freak out!"

"…I'll have to ask my mum," Pan decided. "I can't show you without my parent's permission."

* * *

After what felt like the longest hour in Pan's life, practice was over, and everyone got ready for school.

As she was walking to her classroom, she saw Bra, already chatting to a bunch of her friends. She didn't seem distraught, or anything. She seemed to be acting normally. But this was Bra. She knew how to keep her real emotions hidden.

Pan waved to her as she walked past. She was expecting a half-hearted wave, or even for Bra to ignore her completely. But what happened next surprised her. Bra got up, left her friends, and went over to her.

"Are you OK?" Pan asked, instinctively. Bra said she was going to tell her parents what had happened last night. What happened if they didn't take it well?

Bra sighed. "I'm okay," she replied, running her fingers through her blue hair absentmindedly. "Dad was…he didn't get mad at me. I think he was just…disappointed."

"That's stupid," said Pan, bluntly. "What was he expecting, you to transform before me? That doesn't make sense. I've been training. You haven't."

"It doesn't matter," said Bra, seemingly trying to end the discussion. "What he thinks isn't a big deal."

By Bra's tone, Pan assumed it was time to leave. Her family-friend had important, girly things to do. Like talking about makeup, or something.

But as she left, she heard Bra's voice. "Pan?"

She turned around. "What?"

Bra looked at her, a little self-conscious. "Thankyou," she said, softly. "For saving me."

Pan was stunned. What was going on with her? This didn't sound like Bra at all.

"Well…that's what family's for."

Bra smiled, and then went to re-join her friends.

* * *

Eventually, the monotony of school ended, and she went home. She was getting excited. Now that school was over, she could continue training! She was still a little sore from last night, but it had gotten a little better over the day. Surely her dad would let her continue.

"Hi, Pan, sweetie," her mother said as she came in through the front door.

"Is Dad home yet?"

"Not yet. He's still at work."

Pan groaned. She couldn't train on her own.

Videl seemed to understand her dilemma. "He'll be home soon, don't worry. But, talking about that…I was thinking of what we should do to celebrate."

"Celebrate?"

"Well, you're a Super Saiyan. It's an important milestone. I was thinking we could invite everyone over for dinner. Perhaps on Friday night?"

"OK, I guess."

"If you don't want to…"

"No! That's…a good idea." It wasn't like it was her birthday, or anything. And it was a great excuse to have everyone over. They rarely met up altogether.

Videl continued on, talking about how they should just invite the Saiyans, considering the reasons behind it. And she started bemoaning the fact that she'd have to cook for 7 Saiyans. While she mused over whether she could get pre-cooked meals, Pan decided she might as well ask her about her friend's request.

"Mum?" Pan started.

Videl looked at her, smiling. "What is it?"

"Is it OK if go Super Saiyan in front of my friends?"

Her mother's smile quickly faded. "No," she commanded. "It's definitely not allowed."

"But _why not_?" Pan moaned. "All that stuff about Cell and Majin Buu happened before I was born! It's not like they would recognise _me_. I wasn't even there."

Videl went up to her. "Pan, that's not the only reason," she explained. "If you go Super Saiyan…even if they don't get scared of you…they'll be _jealous._ "

"Jealous?"

"Pan, if your friends see it, they'll want you to teach them how to become Super Saiyans, too."

"But they can't," Pan blurted out. "They're not Saiyans!"

"Exactly. You're showing them something new, something incredible, and something that they can never achieve, no matter how hard they try. It would only be natural they'd be jealous."

"What's wrong with them being jealous?" asked Pan. "They're jealous that I'm better at sports than them."

Videl sighed. "The problem is…jealousy leads to hatred. Your friends might decide they don't want to be friends with you. They might even want to hurt you. That's why it's so important to hide it from them."

Pan frowned. "But…how long do I have to hide it?" she asked, desperately. "Forever?"

Videl smiled. "Not forever," she answered. "Only until they're…mature enough to accept the truth. As it is, you're all still young. And it's a lot harder for kids to keep a secret."

"Do you know when that will be?"

"Not yet. But I think you'll know. The day when you're no longer worried of them judging you…that's the day you can tell them."

As Pan thought about it, she realised that day hadn't come yet. The boys were still awfully judgemental sometimes. And if she _did_ transform in front of them…her mum was right. If they didn't run away, they would totally want to do it, too.

She sighed. It was so tough, keeping a secret like this. She thought she had worked out the right way to do it – her friends _knew_ she was keeping secrets from them, but they had also learnt that she wouldn't tell them the truth, no matter how much they pestered her.

But if they knew the truth…it would make things a lot easier on her.

* * *

That night, Pan spent a lot of time staring at the mirror in her room.

She didn't usually think herself as a vain person. Most of the time, she didn't care at all about her appearance. That was for someone like Bra – those girls who spent hours in the mirror, trying to make themselves look perfect.

But now she could go Super Saiyan…she couldn't stop looking at herself.

Staring at the blonde-haired, green-eyed reflection looking back at her…it was still something she had to get used to. That first night, the first time she actually _saw_ herself transformed…it was a massive shock. She couldn't recognise herself, and that terrified her. So she had decided to keep watching until she fully accepted this stranger as _her._ Of course, it was also part of her father's training techniques. Every time she'd transform, she'd count, trying to get to a higher number each time before she ran out of energy and had to change back.

By now her record was at almost a minute.

But every time she had done it, she had watched herself. She just looked so _different_! When she was younger, she had often imagined what she would look like as a Super Saiyan. Once, at Bra's place, they had found a collection of wigs. Pan found a blonde one and put it on, trying to see what she would look like with golden hair.

When she offered it to Bra, she refused. "I don't want it. I don't think it would look good on me."

Looking back at that moment, Pan suddenly understood why Bra was so adamant on refusing. Pretending to be a Super Saiyan was probably the _last_ thing she wanted. Why hadn't she realised that sooner?

Her reflection now wasn't anything like that. For one, her hair itself was completely different. She had known it was a tendency for Super Saiyan hair to be spiked up, unless it was cut really short. That was still the case here. But Pan had realised it wasn't _all_ sticking up. It was only really the ends that had risen. It looked like she had just gotten out of bed, except she couldn't make it lie flat. She had actually tried pushing it down, only for it to rise as soon as she moved her hands. Apparently, Saiyan hair didn't appreciate gravity.

And the eyes…she hadn't thought about how disconcerting that was. They were a pure blue-green, with no pupils. She could understand why this was a legend feared even by self-proclaimed emperors of the universe. It didn't look normal, by any stretch of the imagination. If she hadn't seen a Super Saiyan before…it would have been the most terrifying thing to her. The colour was so intense; it was like they were glowing. Her eyes didn't actually glow, though. She turned off the light once to confirm it.

She started shaking involuntarily. It was getting a bit difficult to maintain it. This always happened at some point. When she was transformed, it was like her entire body had tensed up. The amount of power running through her…when she wasn't in the right mindset, it made her feel almost light-headed. She knew if she pushed herself to stay in that state, she would probably pass out from shock.

So she breathed out, and returned to her normal state. It was always a relief when that could happen. After all, being a Super Saiyan wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world. Standing up, shakily, Pan looked at her watch.

65 seconds. That was a new record.

Suddenly exhausted, Pan decided to get ready for bed. But first, she started picking up all of her fallen belongings in the room. Things had a nasty habit of falling when she turned Super Saiyan. Something to do with the sudden burst of ki she emitted…her father could probably explain it in more detail. But, either way, if she kept transforming, everything light and not attached to anything would eventually end up on the floor. Papers in particular were the worst offender.

But she didn't mind. Compared to what she was able to do now, fallen papers were a minor inconvenience.

As she turned off the light, she couldn't help but smile. How long this strange sense of euphoria was going to last, she didn't know. Perhaps she would get used to transforming. Perhaps, like the other Saiyans, it wouldn't be such an important milestone after a while. But…she certainly hadn't gotten used to it yet, and that was almost a _good_ thing. It made it feel more...important. This wasn't just something that fell in her lap. It was something she had to work towards.

She almost preferred it that way.


	6. A Super Saiyan Family Dinner

Everything had been set out. The food was all ready, table all set for 10. Now all they had to do was wait for everyone to arrive.

Pan was feeling a little self-conscious. Her birthday wasn't that long ago. She wasn't used to getting this much attention, especially from the whole family. Sure, becoming a Super Saiyan was a big deal, but she didn't want to act like she was showing off. It would probably make Bra get annoyed at her.

She heard the familiar sound of Instant Transmission. Goku, Chi-Chi and Goten were all standing at the entrance to the living room.

"Hi, Dad," said Gohan. "You know, it's probably better if you teleport _outside_ the house and ring the doorbell." He looked a little annoyed.

Goku laughed. "Oops, my bad!"

He looked around. "Now, where's Pan?"

Pan nervously stepped into the living room. "I'm right here."

He grabbed her and gave her a hug. "I'm so proud of you," he said.

Pan smiled. "Thanks."

"Yeah, congratulations!" added Goten. "I knew you had it in you."

It was like her birthday all over again.

"Grandma, you're not upset, are you? About me being a Super Saiyan?" she asked. She still remembered what Goten had said.

"What? Upset?" Chi-Chi was confused. "Of course not! So long as you're not going to be a delinquent."

Goku laughed. "Some people never change. Now, where's dinner? I'm starving!"

"We're not starting yet," said Videl. "We're waiting for the others to get here."

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.

"See?" Chi-Chi looked at Goku. "They know how to enter properly."

"Hey, I said I was sorry!" said Goku.

Pan was about to get the door, but her mother was already on it.

The Briefs were all waiting at the door. Bulma was her usual charismatic self. Vegeta was still withdrawn, but his gaze lingered on Pan for long enough for her to realise he knew what happened. Trunks looked almost bored. And Bra was standing behind them, looking surprisingly self-conscious.

"Jealous?" asked Pan to Bra after Trunks had finished congratulating her.

"Maybe a little," admitted Bra. "I never got a dinner like this."

"Hey!" said Pan. "You had dodgem cars for your birthday party. I think you win."

Bra wasn't so sure. "But this is different. They're all acting like you've grown up. Like it's…Saiyan Puberty or something."

"It's not," said a voice behind them.

They turned around, and it was Vegeta.

"If becoming a Super Saiyan was as natural to us as it was to you humans, Freeza would never be able to destroy us. _We_ would be the rulers of the universe, and no one would stand in our way."

"That's probably why it _was_ so hard for you," mused Bulma. "All the Saiyans having that kind of power…I don't think that's fair for everyone else in the universe. It would have been easily abused by you muscle-heads."

Vegeta didn't look happy about that.

It got Bra thinking. "You mean, we could actually take over the universe if we wanted to?" she asked her father.

"Of course," he replied.

"I wouldn't want to," said Bulma. "Far too much effort. Besides, what would we get out of it?"

It suddenly made Pan appreciate how important it was to have humans here. If Bulma wasn't restraining him, would Vegeta have _really_ taken over the universe? She couldn't be sure.

* * *

Dinner was great. Her mum had made her favourites, of course. It was _her_ dinner. And even Goku and Vegeta seemed to be restraining themselves. And by restraining, Pan meant 'not eating the entire course without any sort of table manners'. They still ate a lot.

"So, Pan," asked Trunks, during the meal. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," she said. "I've got soccer practice at school."

Trunks scoffed. "Soccer. Really?"

"It's actually really fun!" Pan tried to defend herself. "And it's easy to hold back, because if I try too hard I'll go out of bounds!"

"It's a team sport," explained Goten to Trunks. "It's different to other activities. She has to rely on other people, even if they're nowhere near as good as her."

"It's not a challenge, though, is it?" asked Trunks.

"Not really," she admitted. "But I still like it. I want to do _something_!"

Trunks shook his head in resignation. "Sure. I guess it's better than nothing. Still, a Super Saiyan playing soccer?"

"I'm not going to play soccer as a Super Saiyan," clarified Pan. "That would definitely blow my cover."

Trunks sighed. "I know that, Pan. But it might make things a bit more difficult. What if you go Super Saiyan accidentally?"

"I'm not going to," decided Pan. "I'm only going to use it if I really, _really_ need to. I'm going to learn to control it."

Trunks smiled. "Good on you," he said.

And then he started talking to Goten about his roommates. Trunks had moved out of home a few months ago, and Goten was trying to find a place to stay, as well. Dimly, Pan realised these 'family' dinners were going to get even harder if they both ended up moving out. And these occasions were rare enough as it is.

After a while, the adults started talking about adult things. Or, more specifically, the humans were talking about adult things. Vegeta was listening, but not adding anything to the discussion, and Goku was looking around for more to eat. Despite being the patriarch of the family, her grandfather could be surprisingly antisocial at times.

Bra kicked her leg. Pan was so happy, that was their old signal! It was the sign for them to leave. Things were getting pretty boring at the table.

"Can we please be excused?" Pan asked her parents, trying to be as polite as possible.

Videl sighed. "Pan, this is _your_ dinner," she told her. "You shouldn't leave early."

Goten waved them off. "Aah, let them go," he said. "They're probably bored out of their brains. I remember when we used to be like that."

"Alright," said Gohan. "But be sure to come back for dessert."

Dessert. That would be fun. "OK!" she said. She and Bra quickly put their plates in the sink and ran to her room.

It was like they were 6 years old once again, understanding each other perfectly. Pan hadn't realised how much she'd missed their friendship. At school it was fine for them to be apart, but at home she was so lonely without her.

* * *

When they arrived in her bedroom, Bra closed the door and eagerly jumped onto the bed. "So," she started, eyes narrowing in curiosity. "Let's see this Super Saiyan thing."

Pan was expecting as much. Bra had only seen it for a few minutes before they returned to the party and tried to forget it happened. She hadn't had time to look over it like she had.

"OK," said Pan. "But move the desk a bit. I don't want things to fall."

Eventually, satisfied that there was enough free space, Pan went Super Saiyan.

It was getting a lot easier, being able to control it. _I guess it really was just about practice,_ she thought.

Bra stared at her for a long time. At first, she looked a little scared. Although she'd probably seen her father and brother do it, seeing Pan like that would be a little unexpected. But eventually, she became a lot more relaxed. Then she started thinking.

"It's OK, I guess," she said finally. "But I'm not a fan of the hairstyle."

Was she judging her? "I didn't choose this hairstyle!" exclaimed Pan, suddenly trying to flatten it down. As usual, it didn't work. "It just sort of happened!"

"I know," said Bra. "But it looks a bit silly."

Pan sighed. "Uncle Goten said you'd react like this," Sarcastically, she added, "I'm sorry I didn't think about what was 'in fashion'. I was too busy trying to save our lives."

"We might be able to do something about it," said Bra.

"What?"

"Have you tried putting it up? Like, in a ponytail?"

"Isn't my hair a little short for that?"

"Hang on. I'm going to your bathroom."

And Bra left the room.

Pan sighed. Of course she was trying to style her hair. But, at the same time, it was kind of refreshing to have someone to talk about normal stuff. The adults were making such a big deal out of it, but she didn't feel that different.

She changed back to normal. It was a bit difficult keeping it maintained for so long, especially when she wasn't fighting. That was something she had to practice. _But, then again, when would I ever need to be a Super Saiyan when I'm not fighting?_

Bra came back a few minutes later, accompanied by what seemed to be half the contents of her bathroom.

Pan groaned.

"Don't be like that!" said Bra. "I just want to see if it'll work. Then, I _promise_ , I won't bug you about it again."

"Fine," said Pan, defeated.

As Bra started getting out the hair products, Pan had a strange feeling that her family-friend had wanted to do this for a _very_ long time.

"Why doesn't it just stay down?" asked Bra, stubbornly trying to gather the blonde hair together. Super Saiyan hair seemed to defy the laws of physics with how unmanageable it was.

"I think the whole point is it's not _supposed_ to stay down."

"…well, that's stupid! This is stupid."

Pan smiled. "I guess you don't want to transform, then."

"Of course not! No way! It looks gross!"

But then, noticing Pan's expression, Bra quickly added "But it doesn't look that bad on you! At least, it _won't_ , if I can actually get this to work with me!"

And then she went back to her hair.

* * *

After a lot of hairspray, and adjusting from Bra, they had finally gotten it into a short ponytail where, surprisingly, Bra had stopped the back of it from sticking up.

"I'm not going to wear it like this," Pan told her. "It would take too long to do."

Bra frowned. "Alright," she said. "But if you want it to look good, make sure to do the ponytail _just_ here." She pointed it out. "That way it won't look as weird."

Bra started blabbering. "Of course, what you really need is something to keep the hair at the top of your head down. I'd say get a hat, but it would probably blow off in the wind."

"What about a bandanna?" suggested Pan.

Bra thought intently. "That could work," she decided. "It has to be a good one, or else you'll look like a pirate."

Pan suddenly imagined herself as a pirate, and started laughing. It sounded so ridiculous!

She started talking in her worst pirate impression. "Yarr! Fear me! I'm a Super Saiyan Pirate!"

That just made them start laughing harder. The two of them kept laughing and couldn't stop.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Pan quickly changed back to normal. She had a feeling the adults wouldn't like her turning Super Saiyan for 'childish' occasions like this.

Bra opened the door. It was Trunks.

"I was just coming to tell you dessert's ready, so you'd better come out."

He looked around, suddenly noticing the mess of hair products scattered on the floor around them.

Trunks shook his head in resignation. "I'm not even going to _ask_ what you girls were doing."

* * *

As the two girls walked back into the dining room, they could hear the adults' conversation.

"The problem is Pan's training," her father was saying. "We don't know how long it'll take her to have an adequate control of her transformation. She's finding it difficult, and I don't have the time to keep training her."

"I wish I could help," said Goten. "But I don't know if I'd be good at that. I never really had trouble transforming. I wouldn't know _how_ to teach her."

That's when an unexpected voice came into the conversation. "I can train her."

It was Goku. Everyone thought he had been too busy eating to listen to their conversation. Apparently, that wasn't the case.

"Are you sure?" asked Gohan. "What about Uub?"

"Uub's fine," said Goku. "He doesn't really need my help anymore."

Pan's eyes lit up in delight. "Really? You're going to train me?"

He hadn't done that for a long time.

Goku smiled. "Sure! Why not?"

 _I'm going to be trained by Grandpa?_

It was the best present she could have gotten. She knew Goku was not only the strongest amongst them, but also the most experienced. And he was still fighting. His skills were as good as ever.

And then, not caring about anything else, Pan ran over to her grandfather and hugged him as tightly as she could.

"Thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou!"

Goku seemed a little surprise at Pan's sudden enthusiasm, but he eventually calmed down. He started patting her on the head.

"I should do this more often, should I?" he asked, absentmindedly.

Pan could only nod, filling with pride.

* * *

Eventually, dinner was winding down.

"Alright," said Bulma. "I think we'd better get going."

"Does that include me, too?" asked Trunks.

Bulma shrugged. "If you want."

And she gestured for Vegeta and Bra to leave the table. Gohan and Videl stood up with them and walked them out of the house. Slightly curious, Pan followed a little bit behind them.

One-by-one, the humans and Saiyans left the house. The last one remaining was Bra.

"Pan?" she asked.

Surprised, Pan went up to her. "What is it?"

Bra started looking at the ground, determined to avoid eye contact.

"The kidnapping," she admitted. "It was my fault, really. If I had been strong, like you…"

 _What?_ "No! Don't blame yourself!" exclaimed Pan. She had been thinking about that day a lot. "You're right when you said a normal girl couldn't have done anything. I _get_ it now! You don't have to be strong, or have to transform, or anything! If you don't want to, I mean."

But Bra still seemed upset. "Still, though…I don't want that to happen again. Mum and Dad were explaining it to me. If I don't want to ever transform, that's fine, but they don't want me to be _helpless._ "

Pan frowned. "Is your dad going to try train you again?"

That made Bra grimace. "God, no! That was what made me stop in the first place. Dad's too strict. It wasn't fun. He just kept pushing me too hard."

"So…?"

Bra looked up at her. "I need to learn how to fly. I sort of forgot how to."

Normally, Pan would have been surprised, but…how long had it been since Vegeta had taught his daughter?

"So…can you teach me?"

Pan was taken aback. "Me? Why me?"

"Because you're my friend."

 _You're my friend._ Pan's heart warmed at the thought. Bra really thought that? Still, after all this time? And she had thought they were going to stop being friends! They were still so different…

So Pan grinned, and nodded. "OK! I'll teach you. It'll be fun! I'll make it fun!"

Bra started to smile at the thought.

"Bra! What are you doing!" Bulma's voice echoed from outside.

"I have to go," said Bra, hurriedly, as she started to leave. "We'll talk about it at school, OK?"

"OK," agreed Pan.

And then, Bra was leaving, Pan yelled to her back, "And maybe we'll make you a Super Saiyan, too!"

Now far outdoors, Bra turned around and smiled. "Maybe later."

The girl rejoined her family as she climbed into the helicopter.

And, as they left, Pan realised that was the closest Bra had ever gotten to saying yes.

 _Maybe later,_ thought Pan. _Maybe later, indeed._

 **The End.**

* * *

 **[AN: Thanks for reading, everyone! I know this was a rather unconventional story, but I still enjoyed writing it. Perhaps a little too much. Now I almost want Super to start doing things like this. But, either way, some good news: Second Chances is going out of hiatus! Most likely. I have a lot more free time at the moment, and I think I have some ideas of what to do. I just hope it will be good, and not totally boring...**

 **Anyway, thanks for sticking with me! I hope I can meet your expectations.]**


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